The Office
by RositaLG
Summary: A working couple in the city. Trory
1. His Office

Disclaimer: This is rated for a reason

Disclaimer: This is rated for a reason.

Tristan hung up the phone, dejectedly. He had wanted to spend the night with Rory, but he was going to be stranded at work for a couple more hours. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me. I've got some bad news."

"Uh-oh."

"I'm gonna have to work tonight. The project I've been working on is not finished and it has to be done by tomorrow."

"How long?"

"I don't know." He sounded exhausted.

"How about I bring in something for dinner, we could eat at your desk." She suggested.

"That sounds great."

"Okay, I'll drop by after work."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for this."

"Don't worry about it. I know how important this is for you." She said with an understanding tone that comforted his nerves. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye."

OOOOO

"Knock knock." She said, walking in with a bag of food in her hand. He was at his desk typing. His tie had already disappeared and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top, a sign that he was both stressed and planning on being here for a while. He turned around in his swivel chair to greet her.

"Oh, I don't deserve you." He said gratefully as she walked over to him. He kissed her hello.

"Probably not. What's the deal? All the lights were off, except yours. I take it that they all had lives?"

"Something like that." He took the food from her hand. "Smells good."

"Dig in." She said. "So what do you have left?"

"Just finishing off this proposal, but I've been typing so long I think I might be going blind." He said. "I don't know how you do it." Rory smiled.

"Lots of practice. I'll tell you what. You finish, I'll edit for you, that way we can get this done quickly."

"You don't have to do that." He said.

"No, I want to. Look at you, you've been trapped in this office for way too long. I don't mind, really." She sat down on the corner of his desk, crossed her legs and picked up the clipboard that held his notes. Tristan smiled as he leaned back in his big leather chair. "What?" She asked.

"You look like you could be a secretary." She glanced down at her pencil skirt and blouse. "It's kind of hot." She rolled her eyes.

"Gee Mr. DuGray, it's such an honor to work for someone as important and prestigious as you. If you need anything at all, I'd be more than happy to oblige." She batted her eyelashes and bent forward, clearly showing off her cleavage. She did that way too well. He laughed.

"Lose the bimbo voice and you've got a deal." She broke character and pointed to his monitor.

"Keep typing mister." She said, her voice stern. He went back to typing and she watched him work. She loved watching him concentrate. She could practically see his mind working and for some reason she thought it was terribly cute. She settled into the chair across from him and waited.

OOOO

"I need a break." He said, stopping to whine for the second time of the night. Rory rubbed his shoulders.

"You're almost done." She said, trying to encourage him.

"My brain hurts." Rory smiled and kissed his forehead. "I need a stress reliever." He hinted as he raised his eyebrows.

"Right here at your desk?" She asked him teasingly.

"Yes please." He wasn't kidding.

"Tristan. Behave." She stared at him.

"I have been, it's boring." He said, never losing eye contact with her. "Not behaving is so much more interesting." He stood up and pressed her against the desk until she was practically sitting on it again.

"We can't." She was getting nervous, which meant Tristan was winning.

"Why? No one is here." He rubbed her lower back as he pulled her even closer to him.

"You've got work to do."

"And I've got plenty of time left to finish, but right now, I want to play." He said as he kissed her neck. She sighed. She couldn't compete with his charm. He was just as stubborn as she was, but he used his power for evil instead. "Tell me you aren't tempted to do something a little naughty tonight." He nipped at her collarbone. She had wanted to protest, but he hushed her with another kiss. "I'll make it worth your while."

"You really want to do this, don't you?" He nodded as he switched sides and began kissing the other side of her neck.

"You want it too." He mumbled against her skin. "I know you do." He pulled away and looked up at her with mischief glinting in his eyes. "Come on, it'll be fun." She stared at him, thinking it over. "Please?" With his smile, she caved.

"Chair or desk?" She asked him, giving in. He smiled wickedly.

"Desk." He said as he pushed the stuff off of it with one hand. She sighed as he began kissing her. Soon, she was carried away, lost in everything that was Tristan. Picking her up and laying her down on top of his desk, Tristan felt her hands unbuttoning his shirt. So much for reluctantly going along with this, he thought with a grin. He loved it when she took control of the situation. Losing the rest of their clothes, Tristan entered her swiftly. Rory gasped.

"Oh god." She said aloud. Tristan moaned at hearing her breathy sighs.

"You love this, don't you." He whispered in her ear, his own voice ragged and harsh. "You love being taken, ravaged on a desk." Rory moaned her reply as he kept the pace, never speeding up. "Prim and proper Mary, coming undone, losing control, in an office." She moaned louder and Tristan knew that she was close. He was only getting harder at the sound of her cries. Finally he let go, picking up the pace and relishing in the sensation of the hot juices that were dripping down their legs. Rory screamed as she thrust up into him one last time. Tristan followed almost instantly, falling on top of her. After he got up, Rory got a case of the giggles.

"What?" He asked, her laughter tugging on his own lips. She couldn't stop if she tried.

"I don't know." She managed to spit out in between laughs. Tristan watched her and chuckled to himself. He put his boxers back on and he sat back down in his chair. She continued laughing, naked on his desk, the experience filling Tristan's heart with so much joy he thought his chest would burst. She finally calmed down as she began to get dressed.

"Oh, don't." He pouted, getting obvious pleasure out of her being naked in his office.

"I'm not going to sit around naked." She said. "Hey," she said as he went back to work. Tristan stopped to face her. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I'm very happy." He said with a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Why?" He asked, aware that her questions always had reasons behind them.

"Just checking." She shrugged as she sat back down across from him again.


	2. Her Office

Her office was smaller than his, but infinitely more cozy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Her office was smaller than his, but infinitely more cozy. Whereas his office was sterile, metallic, and heartless, hers was covered in photos, knick-knacks and completely mirrored her own personality. She was on the phone when he walked through the door but she smiled and pointed to a chair in front of her desk.

"All right. I promise!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head at Tristan and he smiled. "It'll be done by ten. Frankie, I swear!" She listened. "Okay, I would go finish it right now if you would get off the phone with me. Uh-huh, buh-bye." She hung up and smiled apologetically.

"Hi." She said.

"You sound like a real reporter, Gilmore." He said as he leaned over her desk and gave her a kiss.

"Mm, maybe, but my article isn't even close to being finished."

"What do you need me to do?" He asked, remembering her generosity earlier when he was in the same boat.

"Come up with a brilliant article in," she glanced at the clock, "three hours?" He smiled.

"You work, I'll be a pest and waste your time if I stick around. You know how I feel about offices."

"You'd be bored to death and ask if I was done every ten seconds. I know. Go out, have fun." She said as she shooed him out the door.

"I'll come back and pick you up at ten." He promised from the doorway.

"You don't have to do that." She said.

"Yes I do." She looked at him strangely. "I'll see you at ten." He walked out of her office.

OOOOO

Tristan did as he promised, but this time he was out of his suit and looked much more comfortable than the last time she saw him.

"I just finished." She said as she typed something and turned her computer off.

"And I'll bet it was brilliant too." He said with a smile.

"It was complete crap, but yes, it was brilliant if I do say so myself." She stood up and pushed her chair in. He chuckled at the sight. Sometimes, she was just so his Mary. "What?" She asked as she looked on amused.

"I've got a problem."

"Oh yeah?" She asked concerned.

"Yeah, it seems like every time I sit down at my desk, I think of our little tryst." He said as he stood up and moved so that he was in front of her. Rory smiled.

"I'll bet you do."

"And I think we need to fix it."

"Fix it how?" She asked. He reached around her and pulled out her chair.

"Sit." He commanded. She did, but hesitantly. She watched him and wondered if he knew what he was going to do next. He took her legs and placed one over each of the arm rests. She was suddenly very aware of where he was going with this.

"Tristan!" She hissed. "We can't do this here." She tried to move but Tristan had his hands on the armrests, blocking her legs from moving.

"I've been thinking of how I could pay you back." He said, as he got on his knees. "And we are going to do this here. That way, every time you come to work, you know how I'm feeling." He ran his hand up her thigh and pulled her black lingerie off quickly. She had to admit, watching him kneel before her, anticipating what he was going to do, it was turning her on a little. He slipped off her heels, which she had just put on before he had gotten there. "You never work in heels." He said as he rubbed her feet a little. She smiled and nodded. He started at her ankles and kissed his way all the way up her inner calf and down her inner thigh on each leg. He pulled the legs of the chair closer to him as his lips finally captured her clit, sucking and nibbling on the sensitive flesh. Rory instinctively began arching into him. Her hands found their way to his hair, fingers running through it and pulling him closer against her. She let out a harsh gasp as he finally entered her, delving deep into her center.

"Oh God." She muttered to herself, the phrase barely coherent to Tristan's ears. She removed her hands from Tristan's head and clumsily removed her blouse and bra, all the while Tristan's tongue being thrust into her. She grabbed her breasts in each hand, massaging them herself as Tristan worked her over, tasting ever last inch of her. Pinching her nipple she let out an excited squeal, feeling the full effects of the pleasure that Tristan was giving her.

"Yes," she said, in an obvious state of ecstasy. "Oh yes!" She cried, faster and faster, matching his rhythm with her chant as her orgasm ripped through her body. She sighed as her body relaxed, melting into the chair. Her legs were brought down from their position on the armrests as Tristan stopped to admire his work. The sight of her in nothing but a skirt, completely disheveled and looking thoroughly fucked made his head spin. Still sitting in the chair, she grabbed a pen off her desk and stuck it in her mouth, her tongue toying with the tip between her teeth. She smiled behind the pen as he reached towards her and removed it from her mouth.

"You're a tease." He whispered. She nodded. "It's working." He admitted. She grinned as she finally reached down and pulled his jeans off, never taking her eyes off of his.

"God, you make me feel so damn sexy." She said as she put her small hand around him through his boxers. Pushing him onto her desk, he sat down on top of it. She slid in her chair to face his firm erection. Tristan closed his eyes as her warm mouth took him in, first the tip and then more and more with every motion. His eyes fluttered open as he tried to take in the scene before him. He never thought that Rory would be at her desk servicing him.

"Oh fuck." He muttered as she found a rhythm that was definitely getting the job done. He groaned as his hips began moving on their own. Grabbing her hair, he held her against him as he grunted through his climb. "Ror." His voice rose as he got close. She sucked him harder, helping him reach his release. He shuddered violently as he erupted inside of her. His body slumped forward, obviously worn out. Rory stood up and ran her hands up his chest, forcing him to sit up a little straighter as she moved so that she was in between his legs.

"How was that for payback?" She asked, obviously feeling pleased with herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Good." He cleared his throat and shrugged. "That was, I mean, it was…"

"Good?" Rory offered with a laugh. Tristan just nodded as she kissed his neck once more.


	3. Late Nights

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Tristan trudged the last few steps to his apartment. He had been away for two weeks and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in his own bed next to Rory and sleep. It was two in the morning, but even on jet lag, Tristan was exhausted. He quietly unlocked the door, careful not to wake Rory, but was surprised to see the TV still on. He set his bag just inside the door and threw his keys on the table as he walked over to see the sleeping form on his couch. Smiling at the sight, he picked up the remote and turned off the TV. The blanket around her legs was brought to the rightful place around her shoulders as he kissed her forehead. With this, Rory stirred awake.

"Hey." She said, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" She asked, searching for her cell phone on the table.

"Late" was his only reply.

"Are you hungry? I ordered Chinese, it's in the fridge." She said as she stood up in front of him. He stuck his arm out to block her from moving.

"How about a hello first?" There was a hint of laughter in his tired voice as he motioned towards himself. He kissed her softly, but it seemingly lasted for a lifetime as he ran his fingers through her hair. She smiled as she curled up in his arms. It was always a little awkward when he came back from trips. She usually settled into a routine without him and even though she missed him, neither one really knew how to act around the other for a couple of hours. She sighed as he pulled away.

"I missed you." She said honestly.

"I missed you more." He said as Rory read his face. He looked tired and tense.

"How did everything go?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"No more business. Please?" She nodded and smiled, as he kissed her temple. "Right now I just want to take a shower and sleep." He took off his suit coat, suddenly aware that his tie was missing. He chuckled.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I left my tie on the plane." He shook his head. Rory could tell that he was obviously frazzled by his trip so she took his hand.

"Come on, I'll run you a bath." Tristan followed. Turning on the light in the bathroom, she headed for the tub. She started running the hot water, checking it with her fingers to make sure it was the appropriate temperature. Tristan leaned against the doorway and watched her work, once again amazed by her generosity, and in this case, extremely grateful. When she was satisfied, she turned around to face him. "Now honey, I know that you are tired, but you have to take your clothes off before getting in the tub." She said, mocking him. He left his leaning post and he grabbed her hips, pulling her in.

"Gonna join me?" He asked her, a familiar glint sparkling in his formerly dead eyes. She smiled.

"Like you would let me say no after two weeks away?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so. Hop in." She nodded towards the tub. He began getting undressed, but he never took his eyes off of Rory. It was like he was making up for lost time by storing memories away. She didn't mind though, she was just happy he was back. He sank into the warm water, letting his muscles finally relax for the first time in weeks. He closed his eyes and sighed. Within seconds he felt Rory's small hands on his neck, working out the tension.

"God, that's nice." He groaned, his head slumping forward to give her more access. She knew exactly where to go and what to do. "I don't know how I am ever able to leave you for two weeks." He opened up, lack of sleep letting his mouth communicate without a filter.

"Necessity." She shrugged.

"Well I've got a new necessity that says you should get naked." He said with a smirk. She ran her hands through his hair as his hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face him.

"Alright." She laughed. "Be careful, before you pull me into the tub." Tristan got a look in his eye and Rory shook her head. "Oh no. Absolutely no…" With a splash and a scream, Rory joined Tristan in the tub, her pajama pants and white tank soaked through. Despite Tristan's laughter, Rory looked at him shocked. "Oh, you are so going to regret doing that." She said as she shivered. Tristan stopped laughing long enough to pull her towards him. He removed the now see-through top and kissed the tops of her shoulders. He threw the shirt into the sink. Pulling her bottoms off he was shocked to find that she wasn't wearing any underwear. He locked eyes with her.

"Laundry day." Was her innocent excuse. He lobbed the drenched clothes up onto the counter with the rest of her former outfit. After landing with a satisfying splat, he grinned.

"I have been away for far too long." He said.

"What about the phone sex?" She asked with a wicked smile. "I seem to remember you liking the phone sex." He shook his head.

"Torture." She scoffed, clearly insulted. "Two weeks without being able to touch you, taste you, smell you," he said, his face hiding behind the curtain of brunette hair, leaving small kisses in the crook of her neck. "It made me miss you even more than before we talked. It was torture." He concluded again. "No, you, Miss Gilmore, can only be truly experienced in person."

"Just when I think you're not going to get any…" she said, obviously touched by the statement. "You go and say something sweet like that and it makes me want to give you anything you'd like."

"Anything?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Pretty much anything." She said, knowing that he would ask for something she wouldn't want to give. "What can I say? I can't resist you." She whispered as she stood up and got out of the tub. Tristan never took his eyes off her body as she walked into the bedroom, water dripping down her the entire way. Pulling the plug, he hopped out of the bath and followed her into the next room. She was stretched out on the bed, elbows propping her torso up. Tristan moved slowly towards her and covered her body with his own. He kissed her softly before pushing her down on the bed. He placed his hands on either side of her head and continued kissing her as he nudged her legs open with his knee. She did him one better and wrapped her legs around his waist, teasing him with her wet center.

"Tristan," she asked as she looked up at him with the bluest eyes Tristan had ever seen. "Go slow." He rested his forehead against hers and brushed noses with her, teasing her with his mouth ready and open for a kiss. Her lips finally found his and she sighed into his mouth.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear, his lips faintly touching her cheek. She could feel his hand testing her before slowly slipping into her slick folds. He was reeling from the sensation of being inside her once again. Trying to gather his senses, he began to heed her request, going slowly and taking her in. Every movement was recorded in Tristan's memory as she ran her hands around his neck and whispered how much she needed him. He had heard Rory beg before, but it was usually because he was teasing her. Tonight she was pleading, not for release, but for him. Her soft voice suddenly moved Tristan to become protective of the girl underneath him. He was her rock, something solid to cling to when she felt like she was being thrown around by the world and that faith in him, in return, gave him the strength to be that for her. As Tristan and Rory came in unison, they both knew that something had changed. For better or worse, their relationship would never be the same.

OOOOO

"I hate when you go away." Rory admitted quietly as he held her later that night. Tristan felt his heart wrench at the simple phrase.

"I hate it too."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

"You're not going to like it." Tristan pulled away to read her expression.

"Try me."

"Do you like working for your dad?" Tristan sighed. She was right.

"I like my job, but my father was never really my father. I know him as my boss and not as my dad. He's a good boss."

"But besides the traveling, you like your job?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?"

"Because. I want you to be happy." She said as she ran her hand over his chest. "And when you came home tonight, you didn't look happy." He kissed the top of her head. She could hear his words before they left his mouth. Don't worry about me, I love your concern but I know what I'm doing, etc. "I worry about you." She said before he even got a chance to speak. He smiled into her hair.

"I know you do and I love you for it. You take good care of me."

"I try."

"You succeed. A day doesn't go by that I don't think about how much you've done for me. I don't deserve you."

"You'd be surprised at what you deserve." She said, not listening to his praise.

"Rory?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever think about the future?"

"Yeah, sometimes."

"What do you think about?"

"Jobs, a family, the usual stuff. What do you think about?"

"You." He looked down to see her eyes were closed.

"What about me?" She muttered, obviously falling asleep.

"You know, just you. Being a mom, being a wife. Taking care of a family."

"Mm, sounds nice." She managed to get out before succumbing to sleep.

"Yeah, it does." He said to himself before letting her slow and even breathing sing him to sleep.


	4. Standing Up

Standing up

When Rory came home from work, Tristan was waiting for her.

"What are you doing home so early? Are you sick?" She asked as she rushed over to the couch. She knew that he had been working hard and it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if it finally caught up to him.

"I'm fine." He said, pushing her hand away from his face. "But I did something."

"Uh-oh." She said as she set down her purse. "Spill please." Tristan took a deep breath, pondering how he was going to start.

"I walked into the office today."

"Good, starting at the beginning." She smiled.

"and I realized… I hate it there." Rory didn't look surprised so he kept going. "I mean, I like my job but traveling all the time and being in a different place every day was driving me crazy." For having trouble starting, he was really picking up speed.

"I know." She said, trying to understand what he was getting at. "It's been really hard on you."

"So, I walked into my father's office and I told him that I couldn't do it anymore, that I was tired of traveling."

"And he said?" Rory said, completely shocked by Tristan's sudden ability to stand up to his father.

"He wanted to know the reason for my unhappiness. He knew the reason, but he wanted to hear me say it."

"I'll bet he did." She muttered.

"So I told him that I was never going to get you to marry me if I kept dashing off to foreign countries." She froze.

"You…you what?" She could barely spit it out.

"I'm not done." He said nonchalantly. "And then he agreed that my talents would be put to better use somewhere else." Rory stared at him.

"He fired you?!" She shrieked.

"I resigned." He said more confidently than she had ever heard him speak. "And then he told me that my proposal was the best that he had ever read and that he was promoting me to another location, where no traveling would be needed. New York City." Rory hadn't taken a breath since she had heard him say the word marry. They had talked about marriage, but it had always been something for the future. Something for 'Some day'.

"But, what brought this on? I mean, I knew that you were unhappy with traveling, but to quit your job?" He knew she was wigging out and it made him smile.

"You did. You believed in me, you always have." He smiled. "And I guess some of that belief rubbed off because I started believing in myself. But this does require that we move to the city." He said, knowing that meant she would have to change her job. Rory nodded.

"We'll figure something out." She said.

"So, now that I've actually got a better job with better pay and more free time, I want to spend it with you…" He got down on one knee.

"Oh my God." She said, her shaking hand covering her trembling lips. "You're going to do this right now?!" He nodded as he took her hand, trying to be comforting when, in reality, he was also freaking out.

"You've already been with me for better and for worse, so I'm hoping that you won't mind continuing the job. Will you marry me?" Rory stood there, staring at the ring in Tristan's hand, trying to process all the information he just threw at her.

"Oh my God!" She cried again. "Yes!" He stood up and put the ring on her finger. She kissed him like she would never kiss him again. "I love you." She said, his face in her hands. "Nothing would make me happier."

"I love you more." He said with a smile.

"I don't think that's possible." She grinned.

"We'll agree to disagree."

"I can't believe this." Rory's head was spinning. "You really know how to surprise a girl."

"I know. I'm sorry. I threw a lot at you." She nodded.

"Something like that."

"It kind of all happened at once. I was just, purging all this stress onto my father and the next thing I know he's being a father and not a boss, which completely threw me. He's never done that, you know?" She nodded. "So I had no idea what to do or say."

"Thank you. You are supposed to say thank you." She smiled.

"I did, once I figured out that he was actually promoting me and not letting me quit."

"Good." She said, wrapping her arms tighter around him. "I can't believe you just proposed to me… after work… in our living room." She said, taking in every second of the situation so that she could remember it forever.

"I'll make it up to you," he said, a little unsure of himself for the first time that day.

"It was perfect." She kissed him. "I can't imagine it any other way."

"Okay then, I won't tell you what the original plan was." She pulled away from him.

"There was a plan?" She grinned. He nodded.

"And even a list or two." He admitted.

"Tell me." She commanded.

"No."

"Tell me."

"Absolutely not." He shook his head.

"Tristan!" She stomped her foot.

"Rory!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?" She asked nicely.

"No." He echoed the sing song voice right back to her.

"Fine." She said in a huff. He smirked, proud of himself. He started to walk to the kitchen when he heard her little voice. "I guess you're just not going to get any until our wedding night." He paused and turned around.

"What did you just say?"

"And knowing your mother and my grandmother, they are going to want to wait at least a year to have a proper engagement and to plan everything that needs to be done."

"You wouldn't."

"The showers, the invitations, the flowers, it is going to be _so_ stressful. I really should start telling people as soon as possible." She picked up her phone to call her mother and tell her the news.

"That's not funny." He said as he took her phone away from her.

"I have to at least tell my mom." She said.

"Your mom knows."

"What?"

"I asked her permission." Rory looked up at him, trying to read his eyes to see if he was serious.

"You did?" He nodded. "When?"

"About a week ago. I took a day off and drove to the Inn. She said it was up to you, but that she liked me, and wanted you to say yes." Rory looked like she was about to cry, but she surprised him by kissing him fiercely.

"Did I ever tell you that you are perfect?" She asked as she pulled away.

"Not today." He said as he pulled her back in, refusing to let her out of his arms.

"Well you are." She said, kissing him again. Tristan's head was reeling and he thought he was going to explode with happiness when all of a sudden Rory broke the kiss. Gathering his senses, he opened his eyes confused. Rory stood smirking holding the cell phone that he had previously taken away.

"You're good." He gave in as she started dialing home.


	5. The Ledge

Disclaimer: I don't own it

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

A/N: LAST CHAPTER! Thanks for all the reviews and to everyone for reading this little ficlet.

"Ror?" Tristan asked as he came through the door and didn't see anyone around. "Where are you?" He started searching the house and found her in the hallway, emerging from her office, baby in her arms and pencil stabbed through her ponytail. Tristan laughed at the sight and grabbed his daughter from her. After a kiss hello to both of his girls, he smiled.

"Working hard?" He asked.

"Tell me why I agreed to do this." She asked as she sat down in her chair again.

"Because you're brilliant and it's something you've always wanted to do."

"I don't know what I was thinking. I can't write a book! Do you know how many of my weekly stories would fill a book?"

"A lot?" He offered. She gave him her patented 'You're not taking me seriously' look. He sighed and crouched down so that he was eye level with her in the chair.

"You can do this." He told her. "You've got more talent in you then you take credit for. There's a reason why people have been begging you to write a book for a year. It's because they love you. And I love you too." Sophie squealed. "Sorry, we love you." He corrected himself with a smile. Rory smiled back and kissed him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, now we're going to leave you to your writing, and we," He said as he patted Sophie's stomach "are going to watch the Mets game on TV. Sophia, can you say Mets?" She heard him say as they walked down the hall to the living room. She shook her head and stared at her computer screen again, took a deep breath, and started typing.

OOOOO

_Rory,_

_I just picked up a copy of the New York Times. You wrote a book? Not only did you write a book, it debuted at number one on the best-seller list. Congratulations, I always knew you would do it._

_Jess_

Tristan put the card back in the flowers. He was so proud of her and her accomplishment.

"You've got a present." He said as he entered her office. Rory looked at him strangely. "There's a note." Rory took the card out of the bouquet. After reading it, she put it back. The tears in her eyes refused to spill as she touched one of the flowers. Tristan didn't say anything, he simply watched the emotion in her eyes.

"They're from Jess." Rory muttered. Tristan nodded. "God, he didn't even leave his phone number so I could call him."

"Come with me." Tristan said as he set the flowers down on her desk and took her hand.

"Why?"

"Come on." When Rory got into the hallway she heard her daughter talking to someone.

"Do you like the Mets?" She asked absent-mindedly while she brushed her Barbie's hair. The stranger laughed.

"Yeah, do you?"

"Uh-huh."

"And how do you feel about the Yankees?" He asked, jokingly, but Sophia took him seriously.

"Daddy says that the manager is a…" Tristan's hand swooped over his daughter's mouth as Rory stared at the man in her living room.

"Lorelei Sophia DuGray." Rory said sternly. It was at this that he finally turned around to face her. "Hi Jess." She said as she walked over and embraced him in a huge hug.

"Hi." She hadn't seen him since that night in his bookstore, but he hadn't changed that much. She barely saw Tristan escape out the front door, carrying the giggling child in his arms out of the corner of her eye.

"You have a daughter." Was the first thing he chose to say as he pointed to the door. She nodded. "She asks a lot of questions." He said, clearly amused by the situation he was in.

"I have no idea where she gets that from." Rory said with a coy smile. "Thank you for the flowers." He nodded. They stared at each other for a minute, just taking in this moment and how weird it seemed. "Can I get you anything?" He shook his head.

"I'm fine." Another long pause occupied the room before he continued. "You look good, happy." Jess said.

"I am."

"Me too." Rory glanced at his finger as he held up his hand.

"You're married?" She smiled.

"Yeah, we dated for two years so I figured why not."

"What's her name?"

"Sara."

"Any kids?" He laughed and shook his head.

"No way." She smiled. "Little carbon copies running around like me? I'm not that cruel to society." Rory shook her head.

"Are you still in Philadelphia?" He nodded.

"Luke stops by once and a while to visit." Rory got quiet.

"How is he?" Jess knew why she was asking. Ever since Lorelei broke off the engagement and married Christopher, their relationship to Luke had been broken at best. Rory had had some hopes that it would get better after they had gotten a divorce, but Luke was already hurt and Lorelei refused to admit that she was wrong in marrying someone else. Now they didn't even eat there anymore.

"He's good. I think he misses you though."

"I miss him too." They both got lost in their thoughts for a second. "I've missed you too." She said quietly. "There were so many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call you…I just…" He put up his hand.

"Don't. I stopped by because I wanted to say that I loved the book."

"You read it?" She smiled.

"Yeah." He nodded. "You didn't actually think that you could follow in my footsteps without me reading it did you?"

"No. I guess not. It's so weird though. I know that the point of a book is for everyone to read it, but when I was writing it, I never thought that far ahead. Now people know it and comment on it, it's just…" She paused. "What did you think?" She changed her direction.

"It was fantastic." He said. "My favorite part was the chapter about the old man." Rory smiled.

"I should have known." Jess look questioned her to go on. "That was inspired by Tristan, who had a high school career almost identical to your own. I wanted him to look back on his life and know that all the craziness had led him to that one moment."

"I liked the existential theme that ran through it. It was pretty brilliant."

"Thank you. For everything. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you." She said honestly.

"You too." He said, the Danes monosyllabic tendencies in him shining through. She gave him a hug.

"I'm so glad you came." Tristan came in quietly and shut the door. They both turned to face him. "Jess, as you probably figured out, this is my husband Tristan."

"It's great to finally meet you." He said as he shook Jess's hand. "Rory's told me so much about you."

"Unfortunately, it's all true." He said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation they were in. Tristan smiled. Rory watched as she realized how similar Jess and Tristan were to her, especially through out their history.

"This is so weird." She muttered.

"What?" Tristan asked.

"You guys don't know this, but you are pretty much identical in every way. I never thought that you would meet each other, but here you are, talking to each other. It's just so odd." Jess looked at Tristan.

"We're identical?" He asked for clarification.

"Yeah, you both left me hanging in high school because you were too stupid to get your acts together." Both boys looked at their shoes, clearly ashamed of their bad behavior. "You both randomly appear on my doorstep one day in college and expect to get back together. You both disappear again until you," she pointed to Jess, "show up and scream at me for what my life had become and you," she moved to Tristan, "pick up the pieces and put me back together again. Fate kept pushing both of you back into my life for whatever reason, but it always worked out, much to my surprise. And now, here we are again, the two strangest men in my life are chatting in my living room." They didn't say a word; they just looked at each other and fidgeted.

"Sorry?" Jess offered. She laughed and Tristan smiled, but he hadn't realized that Jess and Rory had the same history as they did. It was kind of disconcerting. Still, she had chosen him, God knows why. "I should be heading out, I've got to get back to Philly before Sara starts freaking out about how long I've been gone." This sentence made Rory extremely happy because she started bouncing up and down, clapping her hands.

"Say it again."

"Stop it." He said seriously. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"You're married!" She said as she walked him to the door.

"Yeah well, you have a kid." He childishly retorted.

"Touché." She said. "We've come a long way Mariano." She said with a wink.

"I know."

"Will you come again? Next time with Sara please?" She more commanded than asked. He nodded. "You won't wait six years next time."

"Well, we're leaving on much better terms this time." He said. She nodded. "See ya." He waved as he walked out the door.

"Soon!" She added before shutting the door.

"What did he mean by better terms?" Tristan asked. Rory thought about where to start.

"Well…After he wrote his book, Jess showed up to give me a copy. He found out that I dropped out of Yale and stormed off after railing on me for what my life had become. Later, I kind of showed up alone to his bookstore opening and he asked if I had taken care of everything in my life and I said yes, thinking he meant school and what not. So then he says good and leans in and kisses me." Tristan's brain did the math. He remembered her going to that opening, were they together at the time? "So I push him away and tell him that I was still with Logan, and despite the fact that he was horrible to me and for me, I loved him. Jess didn't like that answer. It was okay for him to treat me like crap, but now that someone else was doing it, he hated me for putting up with it."

"I remember you going to that." He said.

"Of course you do, that was the night that I broke up with Logan." Tristan looked at her. He had never put two and two together. He remembered stopping by her apartment and seeing her in tears because she had broken up with Logan. She didn't want to talk about it, so he just sat there, not wanting to leave her alone like that.

"I picked up the pieces." He said, repeating her earlier words. She nodded. "I thought you were crying over Logan."

"Jess looking at me like that, when he was so disappointed in me." She shook off the feeling. "I couldn't take it. I was more ashamed than hurt over breaking up with Logan. I knew that I should have broken up with him a long time ago. And there you were, just sitting there, rubbing my shoulder and letting me cry. I think that was the moment I fell in love with you."

"I never knew that." He said.

"Well, right after that you and I got together. I figured telling you that I was stuck in a love triangle with two other guys would have been a little messy."

"A little."

"But it worked out just as it was meant to." She said giving him a kiss. He smirked, letting his hands run over her hips.

"Soph is at the neighbors til six." He whispered, backing her into the nearest wall.

"Tristan." She warned briefly before he kissed her neck. He didn't stop. "But I've got to make dinner."

"We'll eat out."

"And finish my article for my editor." She giggled.

"You can write it in twenty minutes. I've seen you do it before." She sighed. He wasn't going to give in.

"Can we at least move to the bedroom?" She asked as he ran his hands under her shirt. He kissed her his answer. Her mind completely numb, he picked her legs up and wrapped them around his hips. Her hands played with the hair on the back of his head as he carried her to the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Undressing as quickly as they could, Tristan knew they both were a little desperate. With a kid in the house, the closest thing to sex they got anymore was a quickie here and there.

"Hey, we can slow down." He said to her. "No one's here." Rory smiled.

"Do you realize what you just said?" She laughed at the notion of Tristan, with all of his former reputation, suggesting that they slow down and really appreciate the moment. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." She giggled as he silenced her with another kiss.


End file.
